


Just Close Your Eyes

by Iridia



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-07
Updated: 2014-09-07
Packaged: 2018-02-16 11:32:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2268138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iridia/pseuds/Iridia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>His jaw dropped and his drooping eyes widened at the figure that crouched beside him. "Mar-co?" The broken name fell from his lips in a whisper. The man before his eyes smiled gently, sadly, his face and body whole.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just Close Your Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXmGSIxYBOU

Jean turned his head and spat blood onto the forest floor, the air still and musky around him. He lay a hand over the wound in his abdomen, a hole allowing blood to sluggishly drip down and pool beneath him. It was supposed to be a quick expedition, a small team sent out to follow a hunch of Hanji's. What wasn't supposed to happen were three aberrant titans, attacking the right flank Jean had been assigned to. His squad had fled for the trees, most picked off before they got there. One desperate soldier had let his hooks fly as he was snatched up, his bid for life useless and only resulting in one carving it's way through Jean's body.

Armin had been in his squad, he had run to Jean when the injury knocked him off his horse. Cutting through the gear quickly, he'd helped Jean up and sped them into the dank forest. Jean had insisted he was fine -why had he insisted he was fine?- and sent Armin off to get help, collapsing soon after to the ground.

His fingers dug into grass and moss, only a dim light reaching down through the tops of the trees. Jean lay there weakly, a chuckle followed by a wince as he aggravated his wound. This was definitely not the heroic death he had pictured. Felled by the hand of a fellow soldier, his nose wrinkled in distaste. Whenever he thought about how he would die -not that he did so often but one does wonder- he had always assumed he would be eaten or crushed by a titan. A quick death, not the slow painful one he was currently suffering. There were no sounds of wildlife to sooth his ears, nothing around him but trees and the vague shape of a body a few yards to his left.

The sudden crunch of leaves underfoot made him tense and relax in the same moment. The sound was too light to be a titan. Maybe Armin made it with backup? No, it was a singular pair of footsteps, and Jean focused on them as they drew near. His jaw dropped and his drooping eyes widened at the figure that crouched beside him. "Mar-co?" The broken name fell from his lips in a whisper. The man before his eyes smiled gently, sadly, his face and body whole. Marco shifted to sit back on his knees, his body flickered a bit, fading before coming back solidly. "Marco," Jean's eyes misted over, "Marco how?"

"Jean," the soft voice curled around Jean, comforting him. Marco reached out, pulling Jean towards him to rest against his chest. "They let me come, they let me come help you through this."

"I'm going to die for real aren't I?" Jean tried and failed to lift his arm, settling instead for grasping at Marco's pants.

"Oh Jean," Marco buried his face into Jean's hair, "It'll be ok. I'm here."

Jean's breath hitched and he tried to force out a joke, "Hey Marco you sure you wanna do this? I'm getting your clothes all red." Tears spilled over anyway, rolling down his cheeks in silence. Marco wound his arm around Jean, lacing their fingers together over his wound as the other hand ran through his hair. Jean let out a shaky breath into Marco's neck, feeling his legs and hands starting to go numb. "Did it hurt when you died?" He mumbled.

"No, it was so quick I didn't realize what happened until I was looking down at my own body." Marco pressed a kiss to Jean's forehead.

"I'm so—" Jean's breath rattled wetly in his throat, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you."

"Jean no, it's ok," Marco cooed softly, "I'm just glad I can be here for you. I love you." Jean let out a soft sob, black beginning to crawl its way into the corners of his vision.

"I love you too Marco," his confession was accompanied with the feeling of dread pooling into his stomach. There were footsteps -huge, heavy footsteps in the distance. Jean prayed he was dead before they arrived. His next sob sent another wave of pain through him. "It hurts," he cried quietly.

The arm around him tightened and Marco cupped his jaw, tilting his head up to press light kisses along his face. "I know, I know love." A peck to his cheekbone. "It's ok, I'm with you." A lingering kiss to the bridge of his nose. "Till the end and then eternity." Finally their lips pressed together, both ignoring the iron tang of blood as Marco's tongue delved into Jean's mouth. They parted sooner than either wished, Jean's breathing laboured from more than the kiss. His body was shutting down from blood loss, lungs slowing and his right hand loosening it's grip.

The ground shook as the titan neared, Jean casting his eyes about wildly yet unable to see it. "Marco," he pushed out frantically, fearfully. He didn't want to be removed from his lover's arms.

"It's not close enough Jean," Marco tried to console him, rubbing a thumb over the palm of their entwined hands. "Not exactly cheerful news but you'll be dead before it comes." Jean believed him, he was struggling to pull air into his lungs now. He fought to keep his eyes open and focused on Marco. Marco who...had begun singing? "Just close your eyes, the sun is going down. You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now." Jean let the words blanket him as all feeling fled his body except the piercing agony of the hole ripped through him. "Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound."

A shudder wracked him and Jean kept his eyes locked with Marco, listening to him hum the tune he had sung while tears dripped down both their faces. "Marco," Jean tensed up, the booming of the titan terribly close. He strove desperately to push words out. "Mar—"

Marco stared down into the glazed eyes of his love's lifeless face, his shoulders shaking. He graced a parting kiss to Jean's forehead. "Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and...sound."

**Author's Note:**

> I made myself very upset writing this.


End file.
